Miller Helps U-M to Win at Penn State, First-Round Bye in Big Ten Tourney

Saturday, May 22

State College, Pa.

1:05 PM

Michigan

34-20, 14-10

Penn State

22-30, 9-15

Michigan

Penn State

Miller Helps U-M to Win at Penn State, First-Round Bye in Big Ten Tourney

5/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Ryan Sosin

Site: State College, Pa. (Medlar Field at Lubrano Park)
Score: Michigan 7, Penn State 4
Records: U-M (34-20, 14-10 Big Ten), PSU (22-30, 9-15 Big Ten)
Attendance: 1,298
Next U-M Event: Thursday, May 27 -- vs. Opponent TBD - Big Ten Tournament (Columbus, Ohio), 3:35 p.m.

• Boxscore

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The University of Michigan baseball team rallied behind 7.2 scoreless innings in relief from junior pitcher Matt Miller (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) and a four-run seventh inning to down Penn State, 7-4, on Saturday (May 22) on Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The victory secures U-M a second-place finish in the conference standings and a first-round bye at the Big Ten Tournament.

Matt Miller

Miller came on in the second inning to shut down a Penn State threat and cruised through to the finish, punching out six batters while spreading five hits and two walks -- one intentional -- over his seven and two-thirds innings of work. Junior leftfielder Ryan LaMarre (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi) went 2-for-3 with three runs batted, including the game-winning hit in the seventh inning.

The two teams exchanged leads through the first two innings with Penn State emerging with a 4-3 lead after a pair of frames. After entering the game and inducing an inning-ending groundout with the bases loaded, Miller settled down the scoring by holding the Nittany Lions to just three runners in scoring position for the remainder of the game.

In the seventh inning, Michigan sparked a four-run rally to take a 7-4 lead. Sophomore third baseman John Lorenz (Frankfurt, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) opened the flood gates with a double into the leftfield gap. He was joined by a pair of hit batters to give LaMarre a bases loaded opportunity and junior delivered with a sharply hit single into the rightfield gap, scoring one easily and one on an errant throw home. Senior catcher Chris Berset (Vienna, Va./Heights School) then dropped a ball into left-centerfield to score two more and give Michigan a comfortable lead.

Michigan got in some trouble in the bottom of the eighth with runners at second and third and one away, but the U-M defense came to Miller's aid with a double play. Senior/junior second baseman Anthony Toth (Lorain, Ohio/St. Ignatius) leaped on a line drive over his head, short-arming the ball to freshman shortstop Derek Dennis (Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central) to complete the twin-killing. Michigan turned another double play to end the game in the ninth inning.

The Wolverines earned a first-round bye at the 2010 Big Ten Tournament and will play their first game on Thursday (May 27) at 3:35 p.m. The game will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

N O T E S

• Michigan clinched the second seed in the Big Ten Tournament (May 26-29) in Columbus, Ohio.

• Junior OF Ryan LaMarre was 2-for-3 with a walk, a sac fly and three runs batted in. LaMarre, who has a nine-game hitting streak, has 17 multi-hit games this season and 47 for his U-M career.

• LaMarre's two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning gave the Wolverines a 5-4 lead and proved to be his team-leading sixth game-winning RBI of the season and his 12th career 'gamer.'

• Junior RHP Matt Miller (3-2, 5.16 ERA) pitched a career-best 7.2 innings, allowing no runs on five hits with six strikeouts. It was Miller's second Big Ten win in less than a week as he beat Northwestern on Sunday, May 16. Miller pitched 13.1 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts in the two wins.

• Senior 1B Mike Dufek was 2-for-4 with a double for his 21st multi-hit game of the season and his 49th as a Wolverine.

• Dufek hit his 21st double of the season, moving into a tie for fifth on U-M's single-season doubles list with Brock Koman (21, 2003) and Derek Besco (21, 1997). He is tied for ninth on U-M's career doubles list with Nate Recknagel (47, 2006-08) and Jim Paciorek (47, 1979-82).

• Senior RF Nick Urban was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles. He has 13 multi-hit games this season and 25 for his career. Urban has 16 doubles this season and 23 for his career.

• Sophomore 3B John Lorenz, who is hitting .299, was 1-for-3 with a sac fly and a double as he extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games.

• Senior C Chris Berset was 1-for-4 with a two-run single to extended his hitting streak to seven games.

• Freshman OF Patrick Biondi walked in the first inning and scored on senior/junior 2B Anthony Toth's triple. Biondi has scored leading off U-M's first inning 20 times in U-M's 54 games in 2010.

• Biondi moved his team-leading total of runs scored to 66, snapping his tie with Derek Besco (65 runs, 1997) for sixth on U-M's single-season runs scored list.